Microsoft Windows 10 Search Bug Fixed, Panos Panay Said to Be New Windows Head

Windows 10 users have been facing issues with the Windows Search bar for a couple of days now and Microsoft has finally fixed the problem. Upon searching, some users were getting a blank black or grey box without any search results. There was an influx of posts on social media regarding the issue on Wednesday and Microsoft was quick to respond, stating that the issue was resolved and that some users might need to restart their Windows systems (at least once) to see the fix.

Prior to the fix, some users also reported that they were able to solve the issue by disabling Bing in the Windows 10 Start Menu.

After the slew of comments on Twitter, Microsoft said it is “investigating a potential access and latency issue with multiple Microsoft 365 services.” After a couple of hours, the company posted it has “rerouted user connections and validated that impact associated with MO203172 has been remediated.” A spokesperson confirmed the fix the ZDNet, and noted that users will need to restart their PC at least once to see the fix.

Microsoft has also allegedly made some internal changes regarding its Surface and Windows Experience teams. The company has decided to combine the two into a single unit called Windows + Devices and it will be led by Chief Product Officer Panos Panay. The Windows Experience department was previously run by Joe Belfiore who will now move to the Office department in the coming months. Panay will still be reporting to Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha and this transition will take place on February 25.

Panay reportedly sent out an internal memo to his new team, part of which read, “Personally I'm very excited to lead the Windows Client for Microsoft, which will help us streamline our decision-making processes, be clear on our priorities, and deliver the best end user experiences from silicon through operating systems across all Microsoft apps and service connected devices (OEMs and Surface).”